Exploring the world, 30 days at a time.

August 12, 2014

Colorado – First Trip

Recently, I was asked to handle a new project that will be running for the next few months in Colorado. Located about 14 miles northeast of De Beque, the rig is tucked back in a canyon. I’ve been to Colorado a number of times – in fact I was born there – but I never spent very much time in this region. What a gorgeous time of year to be in this part of country. Cool evenings and mild temperatures throughout the day with low humidity. Last week, I flew in to Denver and drove to Grand Junction for a meeting. The day after the meeting, we drove out to the rig. I loved the drive out there. It is so quiet and peaceful once you get off the highway. This is another area to where I must bring my family someday.

On the highway headed out to the rig

If you look really close, that white tower-looking thing is the rig. At over 100 feet tall, it’s still dwarfed by the mountains surrounding it. The rig is sitting on ground that is about 5,900 feet above sea-level. There’s hardly a thing out in this area, save for the multitude of chipmunks and bunnies, and the six bears that are known to roam here. I did meet a nice lady who has lived in this valley for the past 16 years. We chatted for a minute as we passed each other along a dirt road near the rig. She told us about the bears and snakes in the area. She has a small herd of cattle that graze the tops of the mountains.

I really liked how this one turned out. The sun was just setting behind these rocks when it sent out these very strong rays.

Each day we went to the rig, I passed by this old truck sitting out in a field. The day before I flew home, I made a point to stop so I could get some photos. I love shots like this!

I couldn’t be happier with this shot. The Sony A7 with the Zeiss 24-70mm f/4 lens beautifully handled shooting into direct, blazing sunlight. Just a hint of flare. Shooting in RAW, I exposed for the highlights and used Photoshop RAW to squeeze out every drop of gorgeous detail in the shadows. I’m very impressed by the new camera setup.

Same thing here: Dark interior, bright outside the truck, this single RAW shot has the latitude to render a wonderfully rich image. Click on the photo to see a larger version. Those last three images may have to get printed…

One evening after work, the crew and I took a drive out to Colorado National Monument. If grand views acting as backdrop to an excellent driver’s road are your thing, I highly recommend a visit! I must return here with my car sometime. A rental just doesn’t do it any sort of justice.

Nathan, Mike, Dan, and me (left to right)

The pointy rock is the actual Monument.

This small file can’t show all the details. I like the texture of this wood. It looks dead but then you see all the foliage growing off of it; hardy to say the least, and well-suited for this terrain.

After several days of rigging in six 18-wheelers worth of pipe and equipment, we were flat worn out. Even with boots on, the rocks and gravel made for some seriously sore feet. Leaving the rig, Nathan and Mike had the right idea and ditched the footwear. We pulled over on our way back to the hotel just to enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet in the cool shade. Nathan walked ahead of the truck a ways and later was thumbing me down for a ride. Socks on a gravel road… not very comfy either.

That’s it for now. I plan on being back out there in a few days for the following week or two. I hope to have a moment here and there to grab more photos. I hope you’ve enjoyed what I’ve posted so far.

Technical Details:

Sony A7 with Zeiss 24-70mm f/4 lens. All shots were made with that setup. I’m back to shooting RAW. For the past few years I’ve been shooting JPG just for convenience but lately I’ve been hitting up some pretty cool places that I want to squeeze into my photos every bit of quality as I’m able.